Modu 1 – The World’s Lightest Mobile Phone Comes To The UK

In a world full of complicated gadgets and overpriced smartphones with functionality not everyone needs, it’s quite refreshing to see a new phone come to the market that is designed to be completely different.

Rather than trying to pack as many features as is humanly possible in to a phone, the guys over at Modu have done just the opposite. They’ve created the world’s lightest mobile phone, called the Modu 1.

We’ve previously written about basic, easy to use mobile phones for those people who neither want or need all the functionality and complexity of a smartphone, however with the Modu 1 sporting just seven buttons and a 1.3″ OLED display, the Modu 1 mobile phone simply re-defines the term minimalist.

No frills or fancy features to be found here, but you can make calls and send text messages from it. The closest thing you’ll find to a feature is the built in MP3 player, which utilises the 2GB of internal memory and allows you to listen to some music on the go.
As expected with such a small device, the battery takes a bit of a hit, with a 530mAh capacity, compared to as much as 1500mAh on modern smartphones. That said, you should still get a good amount of battery life from the Modu 1, purely because the battery won’t be drained half as quickly as a fully fledged smartphone battery would.

The unique selling point of the Modu isn’t just the fact that it’s lightweight and affordable, but its swappable cases, or ‘jackets’, and docks that you can pair it with. The Modu simply slides in to any jacket which you have, to add functionality to the device and allow you to get around it easier whilst customising it at the same time.

If I was looking at the Modu in 2006, I may have been impressed. But I’m not looking at it in 2006, I’m looking at it in 2010, when there are a plethora of smartphones on the market, sporting various operating systems such as iOS and Android. Can the Modu hold its own against the iPhone 4 and Android devices such as the HTC Desire that are now on the market? Simply put, no.

The major problem with the Modu is twofold. Firstly, it’s tough to navigate. Having seven buttons may look minimalist and relatively different, but try navigating your way around a feature such as the MP3 player, and you’ll quickly find yourself frustrated. Don’t have a case? Good luck texting with those seven buttons!

Secondly, the price range, although cheap, still places it in a sector of the market where competition is fierce. The Modu itself sets you back £129.99, and if you want to buy a jacket or two to go with that new phone of yours, it’s between £30 and £50 extra. That’s £180 for a phone and a ‘jacket’ to make it useful. For that much, you could get a Samsung Tocco Lite, a Sony Ericsson W205, and a Nokia 2720 all SIM free, and vastly more functional. See where I’m going with this?

Although the Modu 1 looks like an interesting device, it’s lacking in key functionality, and although it claims to be cheap, I think I’ve already proved otherwise. Hopefully, the Modu 2 will prove better value for money, as it will be the world’s lightest touchscreen mobile phone (surprise, surprise!)

If you feel like splashing a little cash on this one, you can buy the Modu 1 exclusively from PurelyGadgets.co.uk.